Rams, Tigers, Ravens ready for TIFI battles

Published 1:45 am, Thursday, August 20, 2015

Here we go, TIFI youth football fans. It’s show time for the Deer Park Rams, Tigers and Ravens.

Texas Intercity Football, Inc. (TIFI) has announced its 10-week schedule that gets under way Saturday for the city’s TIFI programs.

The big change from last year’s schedule is the fact that there will be no bye dates for any of the 14 teams. That’s because one program no longer exists. The La Marque Tigers have been axed from TIFI, leaving the league with an even number of teams, no longer requiring a bye date for 10 teams.

The objective will be to compile a season record that will get them in the “Elite Eight,” qualifying them for the playoffs on Oct. 31 and possibly beyond.

The Junior Tigers dramatically captured the TIFI Super Bowl last November so if that squad was kept intact during the offseason, they’ll naturally be favorites to reach the Senior Super Bowl this fall.

The Tigers and Rams will celebrate the start to a new football season with their annual season-opening showdown Saturday at Abshier Stadium. Starting at 9 a.m. and continuing with a 2 p.m. kickoff, bragging rights will be up in the air.

The Rams will have the luxury of being the only TIFI team with six home games and just four road contests. That’s because for Saturday’s game with the Tigers, the Rams are listed as the visiting team.

Then on Aug. 29th, the Rams will travel to the Alvin Raiders for their first true road assignment, one week after the two Alvin teams met each other to open their respective seasons.

September opens with the Rams back at Abshier, this time as the home team when they entertain the Barbers Hill Eagles. On Sept. 12, the team will host the La Porte Cowboys, one of two visits by La Porte teams.

September’s action ends with a trip down Center Street to the Deer Park North campus, home to the San Jacinto Ravens. On Sept. 26th, the team hosts the La Porte Texans.

October action starts and ends with rare road trips. On Oct. 3, the team travels to the nest of the Clear Lake Falcons and the regular season ends on Oct. 24th with a visit to the Dickinson Gators.

Sandwiched in between will be home assignments against the Pasadena Bears on the 10th and the Clear Lake Space Raiders on the 17th.

TIGERS HAVE TWO TRIPS TO ALVIN ON THEIR AGENDA

The Deer Park Tigers will try to make the most of back-to-back season-opening home games. After the Rams, they entertain the Barbers Hill Eagles on Aug. 29.

Then comes back-to-back road games as the club travels to the Clear Lake Space Raiders, followed by a visit to the Bay Area Sharks.

The La Porte Cowboys will make their second consecutive visit to Abshier Stadium on Sept. 19th, followed by the first of two visits to Alvin, starting with games at the Alvin Yellowjackets.

The Pasadena Bears come to Abshier on Oct. 3, before the Tigers embark on another two-week road trip. It starts with that second trip to Alvin and a meeting with the Alvin Raiders, followed by a game at the Clear Lake Falcons.

The regular season concludes with a home game against the La Porte Texans.

FIRST PART OF RAVENS SLATE HEAVY WITH HOME GAMES

The San Jacinto Ravens will play four of their opening six games at the Deer Park north campus stadium, including a stretch where they’ll play four-of-five contests at home.

They open on Saturday at Fairmont Junior High, home to the Pasadena Bears, before starting that nice home stretch.

The La Porte Texans (Aug. 29), Bay Area Sharks (Sept. 5), Deer Park Rams (Sept. 19) and the Alvin Raiders (Sept. 26) offer the Ravens an opportunity to take a glowing record into the final four weeks of the regular season.

The lone road game in that mix is a trip to the Clear Lake Space Raiders on Sept. 12.

But those final four games has the Ravens traveling to the La Porte Cowboys (Oct. 3), Santa Fe Braves (Oct. 17) and the Alvin Yellowjackets on Oct. 24. The team plays its final home game of the regular season on Oct. 10 when the Clear Lake Falcons ring the Ravens doorbell.